The colourful and cosmopolitan island of Penang was the perfect setting for the recent world music event. Held in the beautiful Botanical Gardens at Quarry Park, the Penang World Music Festival 2013 featured a diverse line-up of great bands from Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, Philippines, Iran, Japan, Bulgaria, and more, plus homegrown Malaysian talent.

The crowd that came to enjoy two afternoons of musical workshops and two nights of superb live music was equally diverse and included plenty of locals, expats and holidaymakers of all ages. There was a very friendly vibe and it’s a superb festival for the whole family to enjoy.

I really enjoy photographing live music but haven’t had the opportunity for a while so it was good to get out of Bangkok and head down to Penang, get into some cool sounds, indulge myself with fabulous food that the island is renowned for, and snaps some shots of the bands. 

Highlights for me included Kalayo from the Philippines, Kimi Djabaté from Guinea-Bissau, and trumpeter Rio Sidik from Bali but to be honest there wasn’t a bad band on this year’s line-up.

Good live music is hard to come by in Southeast Asia but with a host of top quality festivals throughout the year, Malaysia is miles ahead of neighbouring Thailand.Hopefully the Penang World Music Festival will be back in 2014. I’ll certainly be there.

If you are in the region, watch out for the Borneo Jazz Festival in mid-May, and the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak at the end of June.